ABOUT THE ROLE
We are building a design-led product innovation engine and are looking for an Industrial Designer who can transform consumer insight briefs into beautifully designed, manufacturable products. This is a lead role — you will own the end-to-end physical design of new products, from the first concept sketch all the way through to a production-ready specification.
You will work closely with the Category Manager, who brings deep consumer and market intelligence — the what and why. Your job is to deliver the how it looks, feels, and works. This is not a graphic design or digital role. We need someone who has held, tested, and shipped real physical products.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Product Concept & Design
- Receive consumer and category briefs and independently generate multiple product design concepts
- Lead industrial design of new products — defining form, structure, ergonomics, materials, surface finish, and user interaction
- Translate abstract consumer needs and emotional language into concrete, functional design directions
- Create detailed sketches, mood boards, CAD models, and rendered visualisations to communicate concepts to cross-functional stakeholders
Packaging Structure Design
- Own structural packaging design — form factor, closure mechanisms, dispensing systems, and material selection
- Work with packaging engineers and vendors to develop prototypes and finalise production-ready dielines
- Balance aesthetics, functionality, sustainability, and cost in every packaging decision
- Ensure pack designs are shelf-ready, retailer-compliant, and consumer-intuitive
Prototyping & Iteration
- Build rapid prototypes (physical and digital) to test form, usability, and consumer appeal
- Conduct internal and consumer-facing prototype testing; iterate fast based on feedback
- Drive multiple design rounds simultaneously across different product lines
Vendor & Manufacturing Coordination
- Collaborate directly with manufacturers, tooling vendors, and packaging suppliers to ensure designs are production-feasible
- Manage tooling development timelines, sample review cycles, and pre-production sign-offs
- Negotiate material and tooling costs without compromising design intent
- Maintain a reliable vendor network for rapid prototyping and production scale-up
Documentation & Standards
- Create and maintain comprehensive design documentation — spec sheets, dielines, material callouts, tolerances, and BOM inputs
- Establish and own the design-to-prototype process, including stage gates and review checkpoints
- Build a centralised design library and asset repository for the team
Team & Collaboration
- Work as the design bridge between the Category Manager (insights/briefs), Brand Manager (aesthetics/identity), and Supply Chain (feasibility/cost)
- Build and eventually manage a small in-house design team as the company scales
- Present design work clearly and confidently to founders and senior leadership
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Must-Have
- 5 – 9 years of hands-on industrial design experience
- A strong portfolio of physical products taken from brief to shelf — portfolio submission is mandatory for consideration
- Proficiency in CAD tools: SolidWorks, Rhino, Fusion 360, or equivalent
- Deep understanding of materials, manufacturing processes (injection moulding, thermoforming, blow moulding, etc.), and packaging engineering
- Ability to independently read a consumer insight brief and convert it into design concepts without heavy hand-holding
- Experience managing vendor and tooling relationships end-to-end
- Strong visual communication skills — sketching, rendering, and presenting to non-design audiences
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with lean resources and shifting priorities
Good to Have
- Experience in food & beverage, beauty, personal care, or home lifestyle categories
- Worked on sustainable, eco-friendly, or refillable packaging structures
- Prior experience in a D2C brand or early-stage startup
- Exposure to consumer research or usability testing processes
- Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop) for design communication
